


Sweet Goodbyes

by wayfxnder



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, PTSD, escape!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:26:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayfxnder/pseuds/wayfxnder
Summary: Kate said they would all find a way out some day, and they did. Now she has to make good on promises and find a way for all of them to survive in a world that's left them behind and cruel memories that continue to torment them. Thankfully, she's not doing it alone.[ Escape!Au | Heavy Katerina and Thomasson focus ]
Relationships: Kate Denson/Zarina Kassir, Nea Karlsson/Meg Thomas
Comments: 19
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

_04:00 am, 14th of April 2012._

Flashing lights and loud music weren't exactly Zarina’s idea of a 'party'. She preferred family gatherings much more. Concerts and festivals weren't bad either. she still remembers that festival her stubborn roommate took her to a couple months ago - despite her initial complaints. it was fun, Zarina had to admit, but that had been out in the open, during the day, with a lot fewer nude men and women and a _lot_ less drugs. This is exactly the type of party her father told her to avoid when he sent her off to college. 

And here she was anyway. Well, in her defense, she wasn't exactly here to party. 

She pushes through a large crowd of people, they reek of alcohol and sweat. Plastic cups with spilled beer cover the floor and nearly trip her several times. Why is she doing this again? Right. Because she's a good roommate, and not because she has a crush on Kate fuckin Denson. No. Not that last part. 

"Zarina?" Someone grabs her by the arm. She pulls it back on instinct - last thing she wants is to be touched by some dude during an illegal rave. A quick scan of his face relaxes her though. She can make out his facial features - they’re familiar. A classmate. _From what class though…?_

"What the hell are you doing here? this doesn't seem like your type of thing." He's barely audible over the loud music, even while screaming directly into her ear. his shirtless body covered in sweat comes a bit too close for her comfort. 

"It's not." she yells back at him. "I’m here to find Kate. I think she might have gotten herself fucked again." 

"Kate Denson? blondie? I saw her earlier near the bathrooms. Didn't look too good." He gestures behind him. Zarina’s eyes follow his thumb and she has to restrain herself from groaning. _Another large crowd. Great._

"Thanks." She says and pushes past him before he can say anything else. She didn't ever need to see her classmate half-naked and covered in lipstick, but she did, and that image will stick with her forever.

Several couples that she passes are taking drug tablets. It makes her stomach drop. She’s never been anti-drugs, but more often than not has Kate returned to their shared apartment much worse than before. She presses on to the bathrooms, there’s a small line but she manages to slip by them easily enough.

It doesn't take long to find her. Zarina feels her stomach drop at the sight of her. For a second she wonders why she even keeps doing this. How many times had she done this now? Two, three times? How many more times is she going to have to do this…

She pushes the stall door open a little further and gathers Kate's blonde hair, pulling it from her face and holding it back for her. 

"it's just me." 

Not that she looks up. The filmmaker doesn't know if it's because she doesn't have to or because she _knows._ Kate's always been twice as perceptive as everyone else. Does she know it's her? 

"let's get out of here." She mutters when Kate finally stands, looking lost. "You can clean up in my car. Come on." 

She doesn't say a word when Zarina takes her wrist and drags her out the bathroom and back into the crowded party. When she looks back, she can see Kate's wide eyes reacting to just about anything: the bright lights, the loud music, the people dancing. She doesn’t stop walking though. Not until they pass a couple kissing. Kate suddenly stops walking all together, mesmerized by the two girls. 

“Kate?” Zarina mutters, looking back at her. Their eyes meet and she start walking again, continuing to drag Kate along, all the way to Zarina's ‘way too fancy for college’ car. Only now does she get a good look at Kate's condition: her pupils are dilated; her body is covered in sweat and she’s clenching her jaw.

"Here, look at me." Zarina says, carefully guiding Kate’s chin and wiping her mouth with a tissue. There would be something intimate about this if Kate wasn’t sweating more than an athlete during summer.

"Why?" She mutters. 

"Why what?" 

"Why did you come pick me up again?" 

"Because you're my friend." 

"I’m a moron." 

"No, I don't think you're a moron. I think you have issues you're not telling anybody about, and this is your way of coping." 

"is it that obvious…?" Kate says, a small smile forming on her face as Zarina wipes sweat from her face. 

"To me? Yes. To everybody else? Probably not." she returns the smile and let’s go of her chin. 

Kate laughs. Zarina laughs. They laugh. 

The drive back home is nearly silent. Zarina thinks of turning on the radio but ultimately decides against it, seeing how sensitive Kate seems to be to all the car lights and noises around her – she doesn’t want to overwhelm her. The quiet gives her time to think about what she wants to say. How can she properly convey these feelings without overwhelming her? Will a simple ‘You need to talk to someone?” do? No. Definitely not.

She’ll need the truth eventually though.

She's parking the car before she can think of anything, and she can’t think of anything while they climb the stairs to their shared flat either. 

"I’ll pick out some clothes while you get under the shower. And remember-" 

"No drinking water from the shower head, I know! I know! Thanks, mom." 

Zarina rolls her eyes, tossing her keys on the kitchen island as Kate disappears into their shared bathroom. _Okay. Get the girl some clothes, Zarina._

Kate's room is nearly the opposite of hers. It’s not _chaotic_ in a way that she’ll trip over books and clothes, but enough to be frowned upon by the blonde’s mother, were she to pay a surprise visit from her home in Pennsylvania. 

Posters of country stars line the walls, Zarina recognizes some of them, others are a complete mystery to her. She’s never been much of a country fan, but she likes Kate's music. That might just be because she’s biased, she thinks. 

School supplies and sheet music lay scattered across her desk, without much care of what happens to them. some CDs of Woody Guthrie have found themselves between the pages, far from the stereo system beside Kate’s one-person bed. 

And of course, the real eye catcher of the room, Kate's acoustic guitar. Bottom-half beautifully engraved with white blossoms. There’s a certain allure to it. One that makes Zarina pick up the instrument and seat herself on her roommate’s bed, aimlessly sliding her thumb over the strings. 

it doesn't feel as magical as Kate makes it look. 

"Enjoying yourself?" 

Zarina's eyes darted up to catch Kate standing in the door opening, wearing the clothes she had thrown in the laundry basket earlier today. Her hair is still damp, dripping onto the baggy shirt.

"Are those my sweatpants?" 

"is that my guitar?" 

Zarina shakes her head with a smile and Kate approaches her, sitting down beside her and pushing her playfully to make room. 

"You drank any water from the sh-?" 

"No, no I didn't. Will you give that up? I did it once!" 

The songbird doesn't at all seem offended though. In fact, she gets a little closer and reaches over to place her hands over hers, gently moving her fingers on the guitar. Zarina can’t keep up with her movements at all. _She’s so close…._

Her face is feeling a lot warmer suddenly. 

"Don't let your thumb rest on the string. let it glide over, barely touching. you don't need to put a lot of pressure on it for it to create a sound." 

Kate readjusts her fingers on the fretboard, making them press down more firmly on the strings. 

"if one of your fingers slips it's a completely different chord. be firm, but gentle." 

She isn't a musician, that's painfully obvious, but she doesn't mind this. Kate’s passion for music rivals her love for filmmaking. And who knows? Maybe one day they’ll collaborate for a project. Kate’s music would fit for soothing credits. 

"Here." Kate says, suddenly taking the guitar from Zarina’s hands and putting it in her own lap. The blonde’s fingers start moving over the fretboard so fast, Zarina can’t even hope to keep up with it. So, she doesn’t. She sits back and listens, 

_"I know how you feel right now_

_Losing dreams, you've come to care about_

_I know what you need right now_

_You need to come on home so I can hold you tight_

_Get you through the night."_

There’s something so awfully soothing about her voice and the gentle playing of her guitar. It makes her worries fade away, even if it’s for a couple minutes. She forgets about her father’s feelings, her falling grades and her own identity. She finds herself humming along to Kate’s singing and catches a glimpse of a smile. When she finishes, Zarina misses it immediately.

_I could listen to you all night._

She’s found some words to say, definitely not the right words, but something that’s been bothering her since the party.

"Why were you staring at those girls earlier? at the rave." 

"Was I?" 

"Yeah. it was kind of rude." 

Kate takes the guitar out of her lap and places it against the wall beside her bed again. She bites her lip and leans back on her hands, purposely avoiding her roommates gaze. 

"I don't know. They just looked…. free.” 

“Hmm.” Zarina doesn’t know what she means with that. Does she not feel free right now? Is that the reason her schoolwork seems to be unattended? 

She doesn’t press the issue - she doesn’t feel like overwhelming Kate right now. Maybe in the morning she’ll ask more. She raises to her feet and makes her way to the door. She turns and their eyes meet. 

"One bottle of water only-" 

"Yeah! Yeah! I know!" Kate waves a hand dismissively at her. 

"Okay. Goodnight, Kate." 

"Goodnight. And oh! Z?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Thanks, for getting me. I was really fucked up and if you hadn't come get me… I don't know what would've happened. So, thanks." 

Zarina has a thing for being able to tell when someone is being genuine. And despite Kate awkwardly averting her gaze and the soft biting of her lower lip, she knows she’s never been more sincere. She chuckles and taps her nails on the doorsill. 

"Do the laundry the rest of the month and buy us dinner Friday and we're solid." 

“Deal.”


	2. Prologue - Under The Stars Alligned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years prior to kate's disappearance, zarina and kate camp by the side of a lake and talk about their plans for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small extra set-up chapter while i finish up (and hopefully post) the first real part of the escape!au tomorrow.

_01:00 am, 21st of September, 2015_

It's 1 am. They've been driving down this road for hours, and there doesn't seem to be an end to the large pine trees. Driving at night is relaxing to her, but oh can it be boring at times. It doesn't help that the only songs on the radio are generic pop songs she's already heard a dozen times today alone. The normality of it wears her out. She can barely keep her eyes open. _Come on Kate, it's just two more hours to the next town._

"Ya amar." Zarina's voice doesn't even register until she feels a hand run along the inside of her thigh. 

"Hmm?" Kate hums, giving her girlfriend a quick glance before her tired eyes find the road again. 

"We should call it a night. There's a campsite by a lake just up ahead."

"It's only two more hours till we get to town. I can make it.." 

"That's two hours. I'm not comfortable with you behind the wheel." 

"Well then you can drive." Kate didn't mean for that to sound as passive aggressive as it did. She regrets it immediately. 

" _Ya amar_ , please." Kate knows when she's lost. She lets out a sigh as Zarina moves her hand up and squeezes her knee reassuringly. She knows it's for the best, but she really misses the comfort of a proper bed and she really wants to take a proper shower. Even a stinky motel by the side of the road would do. 

_Just one more night_ , she thinks as she parks the truck by the side of the road. They fish the sleeping bags from the back as well as their backpacks. Kate contemplates grabbing the tent, but looking at the sky she simply stuffs it in the backseat and locks up the truck. Don't have the energy to set it up anyway. 

"You got everything?" Kate asks. 

"Yeah. Let's go," Zarina says as she hands her a flashlight. "The lake shouldn't be far. We might even be able to see the stars."

"That'd be really nice." 

The lake really isn't far. It's only a five minute walk through the dark forest before they make it to a large clearing. They scan the edges of the water for another group of campers, only to find themselves completely alone. 

A large number of stars cover their heads and shine down on them. 

"It's beautiful." Kate whispers. 

"It really is. Come on. Let's get settled." 

They set up camp - if a campfire and two zipped together sleeping bags can be considered a camp. It doesn't matter though - they're each other's comfort. 

The stars above the sky renew kate with energy and together they discuss the constellations and their plans for the future. Their dreams are brought up. Zarina speaks of the documentary she's been piecing together with the footage she's gathered on the road, while Kate talks about her new song that she's been working on whenever they find themselves stopped. Kate sings it for her - windows of opportunity - and Zarina snaps a photograph with her new camera when she isn't looking. 

Kate can talk for hours, and Zarina really enjoys listening to her. She idly pulls at the grass underneath her as she watches Kate's eyes sparkle brighter than the stars above her. her heart skips a beat when her girlfriend looks back at her, face full of admiration. 

She loves her. 

"Baby? You listening?" Kate asks. 

"Hmm? Yeah." 

"I was wondering if you still had that dream of getting married one day."

Marriage. One of Zarina's secret childhood wishes. One she's buried far away ever since her lover let her know she wasn't much for it. 'so restricting' she had said. It stuck with her. She hasn't brought it up ever since. She's willing to compromise. 

Kate knows that, so why is she…?

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do, but that was never what you wanted." 

Kate hums softly, a hint of mischief in her eyes. She's thought about this, clearly. 

The blonde has always felt locked in place, restricted by both society and the people around her. She's a free spirit, she needs to move around. marriage had seemed so restricting to that need, but Zarina let her go when she needed her to. When she was at her lowest she had told her 'go. take the world by storm. they're not ready for you.' She said that, knowing they might never see each other again. 

It had opened her eyes and made her the person she always wanted to be

And here she was, sitting across from her by a lake under a million stars scattered across the sky, never happier. 

"Mmm, I think I could." 

Zarina's usually good at controlling her emotions, but even she can't stop a smile from slipping. 

"With me?" She asks. It's Kate's turn to smile. A soft laugh slips past her lips as she pulls at the grass under her hands. 

"Yeah, with you." 

They sit there quietly for a while. The only sound is the crackling of the fire and Kate's soft humming as she watches the sky and goes over the constellations in her head. They could have been in the next town by now, but Zarina would give up the comfort of a soft bed anyday if it meant seeing her girlfriend's genuine excitement. 

She lets her fingers slide through the grass again. An idea hits her - she can't let this window of opportunity slide. 

A couple more minutes pass, Kate's humming has stopped and she's starting to look tired again, exhaustion from the long trip finally catching up with her. Zarina doesn't let that stop her from moving closer and sliding her fingers between hers. 

"Ya amar?" Kate turns to look at her, a soft yawn falling from her lips as she does. 

"Marry me?" Kate glances down at a grass woven ring. Her girlfriend must've been weaving it while she was looking at the stars. it's cute, absolutely adorable and oh so simple, but it's everything kate would have wished for in that moment. A soft smile spreads across her lips.

"Yes." There's that sparkle of excitement in her blue eyes that zarina keeps getting lost in. A laugh erupts from Kate's lips as she throws her arms around her lover. 

"Really? You're not joking, are you?" Zarina says, one arm wrapped around kate as the other holds the poorly crafted ring. 

"Of course not. This isn't something to joke about." Kate pulls back, taking Zarina's cheeks in her hands and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. They kiss more. Zarina didn't think Kate still had any energy in her, but here she is, pressing light kisses to her face and laughing with tears in the corners of her eyes. 

In the end she runs low on energy again. They talk a little longer about actual engagement rings, wedding plans and more when the blonde falls asleep against her shoulder. 

Zarina can't find the courage to move, so she doesn't. She closes her eyes and drifts away next to her, sleeping bags forgotten under the night sky. 


	3. Part 1: Head above water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been 2 months :pensive:

_04:00 pm, 8th of August, 2018_

It's hard - being here. 

It's harder than anything she's ever done. Sneaking into restricted areas, introducing her father to the girl of her dreams and even signing divorce papers don't hold a candle to _this_. No, those were all cake walks compared to being here. 

It makes a lump form in her throat, nearly restricting her from getting any air at all.

Still better than the pressure crushing her chest and threatening to rip her heart out though. Or her legs made of lead, exhausting her with every step that she takes. 

She sighs, taking one deep breath and clenching her fist as she approaches the farm house. Every step feels heavier than the last. However, she knows she _has_ to do this. Not just for her own sake, but for Kate's. _This is for you._

"Zarina? Dear, is that you?" it's Mrs Denson's voice from the porch of the house that calls out for her. There's a shirt in her hands - she must have been hanging out laundry. 

"Yeah. it's me." The steps suddenly don't feel so heavy anymore. Mrs. Denson has the same charisma and kindness that Kate does. A ray of sunlight, able to bring light to even the darkest of places. It's no wonder she instantly feels warmth. 

However, it is very easy to tell the difference between the two of them. Mrs. Denson doesn't have the streak of fierceness that Kate had - _has -_ or the need for adventure and change in her daily life. Kate could never settle for a boring life on a ranch. It's no wonder she went to Brooklyn the first chance she got. Too bad Brooklyn couldn’t tame her either. 

"Oh it's so good to see you, hun." Mrs. Denson wraps her in a hug that Zarina didn’t know she needed. She hasn’t seen her since last year’s thanksgiving dinner, and she kind of regrets it now. 

_It hasn’t even been a year since we’ve separated.._

"It's good to see you too. I'm sorry I couldn't come any sooner. I wasn't in the country and then the police wouldn't stop with their questions when I got back."

"I heard and I'm so, so sorry about that." 

She feels awkward just standing there. She swallows the lump in her throat that's getting worse. It's hard to keep her emotions under control. Mrs Denson senses her distress - just like Kate always did - does - _fuck._

"Here. Come inside. We can have some tea and you can have a look around." 

So they have tea, but it doesn't do anything to make her feel better. If anything, it makes her feel worse. Being in Kate's old home and looking at the family pictures on the wall makes her want to dash out the door straight away, but she doesn’t. She sits there and takes it all in. How long has it been since she’s been here? How long has it been since _Kate’s_ been here? 

She spots her own wedding photograph and she has to blink away tears from the corners of her eyes. 

"Where is….?" Zarina asks finally, breaking the silence

"He….hasn't been the same since. You know Kate and him have never been on….good terms. but he really does care for her. He hasn't stopped searching since." 

Zarina wants to ask if it was him that suspected and pressed charges. She knows more conflict won’t do her any good though. 

"I want you to know that she very much regretted the divorce." Zarina chuckles, running her fingers over the steaming cup of tea in front of her. There’s a music print on the mug. Must have been Kate’s. 

"I know." Because she regrets it too. She can't blame her. There's nobody to blame for it. They acted hastily - just like they did with their marriage, just like they did with most of their decisions. Usually it worked out fine, this time it was perhaps one of the worst decisions she’s ever made. 

Yet now Kate isn’t even around to remind her of that mistake. No more Facebook posts, no more radio broadcasts about her newest hit single, no more concert pictures. Nothing. Nada. Nothing to be bitter about. 

"She loved you more than anything." 

"I loved her just the same." She means that. 

"Do you think she's still out there somewhere?" 

"I know she is." She means that too. Kate doesn’t just disappear into the woods and never look back. She’s too strong and clever to fall victim to some creep too. Something happened, Zarina is sure of that - and she’s never been wrong so far. 

She drove Kate from her mind for a while. No good thoughts would've come from it. All she could think of before was her wife’s - ex-wife’s - tear-stained face and the loud words that left a scar on her heart. but there was so much good in her. the way she smiled, her impulsiveness, her free spirit and her caring nature. _Kate, where the hell are you? This isn't like you._

Mrs. Denson lets her explore Kate's room and the rest of the farm. She finds albums of Woody Guthrie, some jewelry, make-up, a bracelet that she gave her when they were still in college and a bunch of guitars lining the walls. 

Her wedding ring isn't here. No matter how hard she looks, she can't find it. She must still have it on her. 

She sets out for the woods behind Kate's old home after, knowing it was a place of inspiration for the artist. a place she returned to time and time again to find her muse or calm her mind. She claimed to have seen something here right before their wedding. Something otherworldly. Zarina believed her, of course, but she was still skeptical. 

Kate took her here time and time again. They would lay out a blanket and just name the stars. The songbird would play some guitar while she shot pictures and video. Life was good. 

She sits herself on a rock, close to the hollow and the cave Kate showed her two years ago. There's a weird energy here, it doesn't take supernatural perception for her to tell. Did that thing Kate mentioned actually exist? 

"I know you couldn't see me destroy myself. I know i was asking too much of you. I was trying to do everything by myself - when we always had each other's back. That wasn’t fair of me, and I should have acknowledged your help." She doesn’t talk to herself usually - preferring to write down her thoughts. But something compels her. Maybe because this is where she went missing. 

"I’m never going to heal from it, but...I can't give up just because you're not here. I know you wouldn't want me to. I'll continue to spread your message and give hope to people that can't find it themselves.”

It's quiet for a while. Zarina feels stupid, ridiculous. Kate can't hear her, she's not here. But something...something about it makes her believe that her ex-wife is still somewhere out there. 

"Well, I better get going." 

She gets up and leaves the woods, feeling a cold breeze move past her ankles. She turns to look once she's at the edge. 

Had the forest always been so foggy? 

* * *

_01:00 am, 17th of September,_ **2023.**

It's 1 am when the loud buzzing combined with a bright light wakes the blonde up. Hands tap around the bedside table until she finds the culprit of the disturbance and brings it to her face. She has half a mind to deny the call all together or ask the person what their bloody problem is calling this late at night, but she's not that type of person, and the person calling her is not an asshole - or well, not that type of asshole. 

She untangles herself from her wife and gets up, pressing the phone to her ear as she exits the room and closes the door behind her carefully, making sure not to wake her up. They don’t get enough sleep as it is. 

Bare feet make their way to the window. Kate stares out at the woods surrounding the house. 

"Nea? what's going on?" She asks, her usually soothing voice filled with concern and worry. 

"It's Meg. She had another….episode. I'm sorry to bother you with this, I know it's late but...I just…" 

"No. It's okay. I understand you can't really go see somebody else for this. Do you need me to come over?" 

"You don't have to come over right away, but…" 

"Do you need me to, Nea?" 

"Yes." Kate hears her voice break, can hear exactly where her friend's voice cracks. The amount of pain she's had to endure since.... 

_I did this to them._ _I forced them out._

The black bundle of fur that's been rubbing up against her leg gets more insistent as it senses her discomfort. She kneels by the feline and gives him a few soft scratches under his chin. 

"I'll be there in thirty minutes. Let me just get dressed." 

"Thank you." 

The call ends and the house is quiet once again, apart from Lupus's soft whining as he continues to rub against her leg. 

Kate likes the peace and quiet out here. There's no loud cars, no flashing lights, no screams, no yelling. Just...quiet. She still doesn't know how she managed to convince Zarina to move from the bustling city to the quiet countryside, but she figured they both needed to be away from all the loud noises for a little bit. 

And their 'episodes' are less frequent here. 

Zarina's aren't as bad, mostly boiling down to insomnia, but hers certainly are a lot more severe. She can't deny that. Actually, Zarina probably only agreed to this place to give _her_ more peace of mind. _She worries too much._

"Kate?" Speaking of her wife. 

"Hmm?" She hums, turning on her heel and facing Zarina. She looks tired. The circles under her eyes are prominent even in the dark. _Fucking nightmares._

"Was that Nea?" 

"Yeah." She comes closer, arms folded across her chest. 

"I'm going to stop by. Meg had another bad episode. Nea doesn't know what to do." Zarina's hands come up to cup her face, thumbs running over her cheeks. Kate tilts her face to press a soft kiss to the palm of her hand. 

"Ya amar, when will you start taking care of yourself? You've been sleeping even less than I have." 

"I have to do this." Kate replies, eyes meeting Zarina's. There's concern in them that she doesn't try to hide - worry. 

"You don't owe them anything." 

"I know that, my love, but who am I if I don't help them now?" 

"You'd be taking care of yourself." 

"Z." Kate's voice trails off and she hears Zarina sigh. She knows that sigh. It's the one where she's about to give in to her stubborn request. Kate can't help but chuckle, which earns her a roll of the eyes. 

"We best get dressed then." 

"We?" 

"You didn't think I'd let you drive like that, did you? come on. Before I change my mind." 

Kate watches her wife pull away and gestures for her to come change. She smiles, pocketing her phone in her sleep shorts and following her to get dressed. A top, denim jacket, pink skirt and some simple boots are enough. It's the middle of the night - Nea and Meg aren't going to judge their fashion choices. Especially not Nea. 

The drive there is mostly quiet. The radio is on for the first two songs when Zarina turns it off suddenly. Kate knows though - it's one of her own songs that came on, Dance with me. The song was supposed to be a celebration of their marriage but didn't get popular until after the signing of the divorce papers. it's not even that Zarina can't stand it, it's that Kate can't. 

It's not long till they arrive in the nearest town. The silence would make outsiders believe it's abandoned, and with how little people actually live there, they wouldn't be far off. They pass through a couple streets until they reach an apartment complex. It's worn out, ready to be torn down and replaced by something newer. Just like everything else in this town. 

It's the best Nea and Meg can manage without relying on Kate and Zarina's still growing wealth. 

"You ready?" Zarina slides a hand onto her knee and Kate places hers on top of it, thumb running over her knuckles. "Yeah." 

She opens the car door and steps out. The dark streets are chilly and ominous but she hasn't been scared of the dark since she was a child. If anything, she's come to appreciate the light much more because of the endless nights that they experienced. 

The fog still sends chills down her spine though. 

"Did Nea mention anything about what kind of episode it was?" 

"No, but knowing Meg it was probably pretty bad."

"We need to find a way to help her cope with them, as quickly as possible. They can't keep going like this." 

Zarina says that, but are they themselves coping? Can their daily activities be called coping? 

"I know…" They climb the steps. Zarina fishes the key out of her pocket and opens the door to the apartment complex- privileges of being asked to feed the cat when your friends are going to the other side of the country. 

"You really think a therapist won't help? I mean they _are_ ptsd episodes." 

"First of all, Meg Thomas barely opens up to anyone. Second of all, even if she did, the other guy would never believe her. Spider-demon in the sky is kind of hard to believe." 

"Point made." 

"You haven't finished your entity doc yet either, so we can't rely on that." 

"I need to finish publishing _chains of hate_ first, ya amar. Just like you need to finish _changes_ and _way back home._ " 

Kate waves her hand dismissively. She knows that. she knows that she hasn't really been the quickest with publishing her songs - but there's a reason she's been so hesitant on returning to the music industry. The sole reason she made it big in the first place was her marriage falling apart, and now her music will just be known as 'that artist that returned after going missing for five years.' Not exactly something to be proud of. 

Besides, she doesn't care much for fame. 

She buries those thoughts as they climb the stairs to the fifth floor with ease. One thing they can thank the entity, and Meg's extreme training regime for, is their increased stamina. 

They haven't been inside of Meg and Nea's apartment for a little while. It hasn't changed though - Meg keeps it nice and clean while Nea spends most of her days at work, trying her hardest to scrape by for the two of them. It's what neither of them want - but it's all they can manage right now. 

"Kate," Nea calls out from the kitchen to their right. "Oh Zarina's here too." 

"Where is she?" Zarina's always been straight to the point. 

"Living room. I gave her some tea to calm down." 

"How many episodes has she had this week?" 

"I think this is her…..fifth? I don't really keep track." Nea looks more tired than Kate's ever seen her. and has she been….crying? 

"Come." Nea says, putting the tea box away and gesturing for the couple to follow her. 

Meg's seated on the couch, a rainbow blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a mug of steaming tea in her hands. Her red hair is loose, nearly covering her eyes. 

Kate meets her eyes when she looks up. 

"Hey." She says. 

"Hey, hun." Kate replies, taking a seat on the couch next to her. Instantly Meg rests her head against her shoulder and Kate moves the hair from her face. 

"You okay?" Meg doesn't reply. She just slowly nods her head against her. 

Zarina rests her back against the nearest wall, arms folded across her chest. Nea stays in the door opening, holding a mug of tea herself. Kate can’t imagine how rough things must have been for her, for both of them, but Nea’s never been one to complain about anything. ‘I just deal with it’ She said at one point while they were still on the other side. Kate didn’t ask after that. 

“Want to talk about it?” She says to the red-head sipping her tea next to her. Meg doesn’t say anything again. Her green eyes look at Nea, pleadingly, but her girlfriend doesn’t respond. Doesn’t know _how_ to respond. 

“Z and I’ve been talking and…” Kate llets her voice trail off for a second. “Something needs to change. You guys can’t live like this for the rest of your lives.” 

Meg knows that. Nea knows that. Yet, they both still visibly tense at the mention of _change_ and it’s understandable. They’ve been living the same day for seven years and then once they _do_ get out they’re met with….nothing. No home, no loved ones, no nothing. The only thing they have is each other now. 

Nea and Meg had warned her time and time again of what would happen, and yet….

_I’m so stupid._

“Have you tried visiting her at all…?” Meg starts softly shaking and Kate knows she’s made a mistake. A mistake she can’t even begin to repair when Nea’s already interrupting her. 

“What the hell is that gonna do? Make it worse?” 

“No- I just think it could give her some clos-” 

“Easy for you to say! You still have your mom! Still have your dad! Still have a _family_.” 

“She does, but I don’t.” Zarina interrupts her before she can go on an insomnia-induced rant that won’t do any of them any good. Emotions are high. Hardly any of them are getting any sleep. They’re not making progress. An argument was bound to happen at one point. 

But they need each other.

“When my father was…. killed I tried to ignore the problem at hand for a long time. I put healing aside for mindless revenge and lost a lot in the process.” Zarina looks at Kate. Her wife looks forgiving but she knows how badly she hurt her - how badly they both hurt each other. That scar on their hearts will never truly fade. 

“I understand it’s scary,” She says, shifting her attention to Meg, “But it’s worth a shot. It might be the one thing that’s preventing you from healing.” 

Meg doesn’t say anything. Nea doesn’t either. The air in the room gets awkward. The only noise comes from the poorly-hung clock on the wall. Kate’s pretty sure it’s displaying the wrong time. 

“What have you guys done to…?” Meg finally speaks. She sits-up and places the mug on the table in front of her. “You know...forget about it all.” 

“Keep busy,” Kate says, “Distract myself. It’s really no better than what you’ve been doing.” 

Hiding in the woods, playing music, only visiting the small towns to get groceries. Oh and _well…._

 ** _That_** could be considered coping, but she really didn’t want to bother Nea and Meg about that. She worries Zarina enough. 

They’re quiet again for a long time. She hears Zarina sigh and Nea shift awkwardly in the door opening. After a while her wife pushes herself off the wall. “I think it’s best if you guys get some sleep for now. We can talk some more later, when we’re all less heated.” 

Kate doesn’t know if she agrees with her. Meg needs help, something that will help her _right now_ , but even she’s unsure she can provide that for her. So she’ll follow her, for now. 

“Ya amar, let’s go.” 

Nea sees them out. Zarina’s already halfway down the stairs when Nea speaks to Kate privately. 

“I’ve….tried to contact my parents,” She says, “I got my dad’s email through some close contacts but I’m not sure…” 

Kate places a hand on the door. “Listen. I want you to think about what’s going to help _you_. If you think this is it, go for it. But we can talk more about it later, okay?” 

Nea awkwardly nods her head, softly biting her lip as she does. 

“Take care of Meg, will you? And think about what I said. It might be good for her.” 

Nea nods her head again and closes the door. Kate quickly makes her way down the steps, meeting Zarina at the bottom. She shoots her a ‘What was that about?’ look but Kate dismisses it. She’s tired - Zarina’s tired - they should go home and get some sleep. 

And they do. They go home, climb back into bed and get as much sleep as they can. Which amounts to about three hours for Kate and four for Zarina. They watch the sunrise from their kitchen window. The radio plays - the news. of course - and Kate is reading the newspaper with a mug of coffee. (To keep her awake. She actually hates the taste)

Zarina’s looking at her phone, browsing international news pages. 

It all boils down to the same thing - Information. _Anything_ on the other survivors. Whether it’s news articles about their initial disappearances, updates from police officers or missing person posters. _Anything_ about them. It can’t just be the four of them that escaped. It _can’t_ be. 

Their morning search ends up with nothing but vague rumours. Again. Kate retreats to the attic, where they have newspaper clippings, missing person posters and recordings all stashed away. It’s her way to cope. It’s her way to _forget_ about it all. It’s weird, really. Constantly reminding herself of the others and desperately looking for them shouldn’t be _helping_ her, but it does. 

Another afternoon gone, spend on looking through the same newspaper clippings and listening to recordings that she’s heard a million times for _something_. _A hint. A name. A place. Anything._

**_Nothing._ **

She passes out at her desk, the tv in the room still playing the news. 

“A...mar…” A soft noise causes her to stir. “Ya….” 

Suddenly a hand reaches for her shoulder roughly. She wakes up in a panicked frenzy, eyes looking around the room for her attacker, only to find Zarina’s apologetic hazel staring back at her.

“H-Huh? What is it….? What’s wrong?” 

“Ya amar, look.” 

Zarina points at the tv. It’s an international broadcast. A journalist is reporting a traffic accident in a different language. A motorcyclist crashing their bike in the middle of the street during broad daylight. Kate’s too sleepy to realise what language the guy is speaking in. 

Well - that is - until the journalist mentions the magic words ‘Sakura 7’ 

**_Yui._ **

It’s a spark of hope. 


	4. part 2: Recessional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://open.spotify.com/track/1J36qdJVf19bvKcTXyEcnr?si=YD1bl67PSTuDmldhWGpH-g

**_September 24th, 01:00 am 2023. - Philadelphia, USA_ **

**_Kate and Zarina Kassir_ **

_She dreams through the noise._ Zarina's careful not to move, not wanting to wake up the sleeping form leaning against her shoulder. She looks almost child-like, she thinks. With the way her lips are slightly parted, a stray strand of blond hair covers her eyes and she's snoring softly. It's likely the first proper sleep she's had in days, maybe even weeks. That _with_ all the noise around them. People walking, announcements left and right and the subtle music that would regularly be interrupted by aforementioned announcements. Kate can fall asleep anywhere - Zarina should've known after all those times she found her asleep against a finished generator - all her hard-work and many, many trials finally catching up to her. 

She turns her watch and looks at the time. It's silly, she can see the display with the delays right above her head. Her eyes find Kate again, still snoring softly. Her own cheeks are tinted red. It's warm. Her hands are clammy. Her head spins. She feels like a teenager, not a married woman. 

_Married._ Right. Was that right? In the legal register they were still set as 'divorced'. A fog marriage doesn't really count now that they're back out in the real world. Did Kate want to get married for a third time? Did she not? Is that why she hasn't brought it up? No. No, she likely just forgot in her crazy rave to help others. Even now she probably hasn't thought about it. _Always thinking about others. But at the end of the day, who's there for you?_

She stirs for a second, makes a cute noise and nuzzles her face into her shoulder. Zarina's seen that before. _You little shit._

"How long have you been awake for?" Kate groans softly, opening one eye to peek at her. 

"Just a little, don't worry. If you were up to some super-secret plan while I was resting against you I wouldn't know about it." She winks. Zarina playfully rolls her eyes, smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She won't give Kate the satisfaction. 

She stirs, stretches and lets out a loud yawn. Zarina reaches over to tuck some hair behind her ear slowly. She truly does feel like a teenager now, one with a crush. Loving Kate is just like that - never truly being prepared for what she's up to. She's a storm. Falling over and over and over again. A little more each time. 

"What's on your mind?" There. That's it. The bolt of lightning. The way she sees right through her. She hasn't said a word but Kate sees right through her; can see in her eyes that something's wrong. She does this with her, but can do it with anyone. It's a little scary to think about, especially considering she can see through people's lies and manipulations. It reminds her a little of herself, just much less malicious. Her methods of seeing through people worked, yes, but they were usually with ill-intent. Like Clark Stevenson. Kate never used her talent like that, and likely never would. That's where they're different. Motivation. Their goals. So different, yet so alike. 

"You." Zarina admits. 

Kate chuckles and rests an elbow on the back of her seat, turning slightly to look at Zarina "Is that so?" 

"Well I should specify. I was thinking about us, actually." 

That catches her attention. Instantly the cheerful look on her face disappears and Zarina can nearly smell the distress her wife feels. Guilt and hurt can be seen in her gray eyes and Zarina feels a little guilty for not immediately specifying what she meant with 'us.' 

"Not anything negative," She specifies, "Just about our legal status." 

That doesn't seem to calm her down. In fact, Kate grows more distressed because of it. Her eyes look around nervously to avoid her gaze and she’s started biting her pink lips softly. Zarina sighs, leans in and captures Kate's chin with two of her fingers. It grounds her, makes her look into her own hazel brown eyes. 

"You're okay, Ya amar." Public displays of affection besides handholding weren't really her thing, but she leans in to place a soft kiss to the blonde's lips anyway. Her wife visibly relaxes at the touch and even reaches up a hand to place it on her wrist. Actions speak louder than words in their relationship - they always have.

"Was just wondering if you've thought at all about the fact that legally we're still divorced. We never got remarried outside of the fog, habibti." Kate blinks hard, idly rubbing Zarina’s wrist as she visibly thinks. She seems more confused than anything. Perhaps in her mind she didn’t really care about what their legal status was. Maybe it’s gone over her head. Maybe she herself is crazy for thinking so hard about it. 

Or maybe Kate still blames herself for their divorce, when it really wasn’t either of their faults. Poor miscommunication, a decision made on a whim and anger on her side were the main factors that led to the signing of papers. She regrets it too, every day, but if Kate’s taught her anything it’s that they don’t have time for regrets. She knows that. 

“Kate?” 

The blonde shifts again. She’s playing with her ring, which never translates to a good thing. Yeah. She’s pretty sure she’s right. She still blames herself. 

“Not sure this is a conversation we should be having in an airport, 30 minutes before our flight but.” They’re mostly alone, except for the couple people walking by to their right. “And I know we aren’t the best at talking about things…” 

Zarina places a hand on Kate’s, running a thumb over the band around her finger. “But I want you to know that I love you.” 

Kate looks at her. Gray meets brown again. The blonde can’t help a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I love you too.” She says, leaning in to wrap the other in a hug. 

Zarina holds her like that for a while. She doesn’t need to see Kate’s face to know there’s tears rolling down her face. Her body shakes softly in her arms and she’s clinging to her like her life depends on it. The brunette simply rubs her back softly, whispering sweet nothings in her ear like she had seen her do many times for her and others. 

“I love you, ya amar.”

* * *

**_September 25th, 4:00 PM 2023 - Tokyo, Japan._ **

**_Kate and Zarina Kassir._ **

“I should have paid better attention when Adam and Yui were speaking Japanese.” 

“Don’t think that would have done much. Written and spoken language are much different. Just like spoken and written Arabic. You know quite a bit of the spoken language, but you wouldn’t know how to write or read any of it.” 

“Which I do want to learn at one point.” 

Zarina turns away from the sign they are trying desperately to figure out and to Kate instead. “Really? You’d be interested in that?” 

“Yeah. Why not?” 

She’s never expressed interest in it before. The spoken language, sure. But written? When is she ever going to have to use that? She’s pleasantly surprised by her interest. She looks down at her ring, moves her thumb over it. _Maybe we can get the engraving in Arabic?_ _If she wants new rings._

“Anyway. I give up on this. I’m just going to ask that lady at the front desk.” _Probably what we should have done in the first place, dummy_

A minute later they’re in an elevator going up several levels. She tries to read some of the signs but they’re all in Japanese besides the very bright green ‘exit’ sign above the door and the red ‘emergency’ button on the number panel. It doesn’t really matter anyway. The woman at the front desk had been helpful enough. 

How Kate had managed to convince the lady that they were somehow associated with Yui Kimura of all people was a mystery to her, but she’s not going to ask for the details. 

They get out of the elevator and make their way down the hall. Room four, that’s where Yui is supposed to be. Supposed to be recovering from a pretty bad injury to her leg. Her leg, again. If it’s too bad she might never ride her bike again, maybe never even walk again. She can’t imagine what that would do to her. They reach the room and Kate hesitates in front of the door, hand on the door handle. 

“You shouldn’t go in there. Ladies are cleaning it up and all.” 

Their heads snap around to find her, Yui Kimura, sitting on one of the waiting room chairs in her usual get-up. Her synthetic pants and gang jacket don’t look bloodied at all though, and despite some bandages wrapped around her arm, she doesn’t look worse for wear. It’s like she’s just been patched-up by the entity and restored to full. But this wasn’t the entity’s realm. 

Kate’s already flung herself at the other blonde, arms wrapped around her tightly and squeezing her. She’s crying again, Zarina can tell. Yui simply laughs, patting her back softly and reminding the other blonde to be careful. It’s not visible, but she is still very injured. It’s only been a week since the accident, she still has a lot of recovering to do. 

“It’s good to see you too, Denson. Or excuse me, Mrs. Kassir.” Yui and Zarina’s eyes meet and Zarina gives her a shy nod. Yui was a woman they both confided in, Kate as her best friend and Zarina as a teacher when she first arrived in the entity’s realm. To see her again after _months_ felt almost surreal. “Come here, other Kassir. Just this once you can spare a hug.” 

Zarina shakes her head with a smile and walks over to give the biker a hug anyway, patting her back a couple times. “Thank god you’re back, Yui.” She says. 

“Missed me that much?” Yui grins, pulling away from the both of them. She puts both her hands on her hips, confidence shining from her as always. Unlike the rest of them, Yui doesn’t feel out of place. Not as in her being the only japanese survivor amongst them, but as in her not showing the effects of the fog. They’ve been out of the fog for over three months, but still very much show the effects in the circles under their eyes and Kate’s pale skin. In fact, they both look worse for wear. Yui? Yui looks like she fits right here. If anything, the fog made her stronger. She’s been kicked down, beaten and bled a million times but here she is, stronger than ever. 

Zarina admires that about her. 

“Already out of the hospital huh?”

“You know I can’t stay in a hospital bed for longer than a week. Especially not after escaping like that.” 

“Why are you still here?” Zarina asks, “Nobody really likes hanging out in hospitals for no reason.”

“I knew you’d come.” She replies, a confident grin still on her lips. “That’s why I haven’t called.” She rolls up her sleeve, revealing a number written in ink on her arm. It’s clearly been rewritten over and over again.

“Just in case I forgot.” She winks at Kate. “Anyway. We can talk as we walk. Let’s get out of here.” 

Kate and Zarina share a look as Yui shoots past them and back to the elevator. They stand the for a little while when Yui calls out again, in Japanese these time. They can string enough words together to figure out the meaning and quickly follow after her. She doesn’t say anything on the elevator down. In fact, they don’t say a word until they’re all the way out of the hospital and down the main street. It’s Tokyo, so nearly every street is packed, but Yui leads them through a semi-secluded area. Probably for the best. 

“I wanted to be out of there before we talked more. Too many eyes, you know?” 

They’re still walking. Where to? Neither of them know, but Yui’s leading the way. 

“Yeah. How’s your leg?” Kate asks. Yui’s always walked with a slight, nearly missable limp. It doesn’t seem to have gotten any worse. In fact, she has to squint to recognise it at all. She’s good at covering it up - part of her confidence. 

“Good.” She pats her leg. “No fractures, just bruising. Caught a lucky break.” 

Kate laughs at that. Of course that’s what gets her. 

“How did you get out?” Zarina asks.

The air around them feels heavier immediately. Kate stops laughing too, instantly more serious. She looks forward to Yui who’s walking slightly ahead of them. Even now she still seems as relaxed as ever. In fact, none of this really seems to bother her too much. 

“Same way as you. Slipped through the rift that opened. The entity really thought it was subtle opening it while most of us were in trials. But, we found it and slipped out. Your plan worked, so we figured we could try it too.” 

“‘We’ as in…?” 

“Adam, Jeff and Jane. They stepped out with me. I was the first to go in, so it could be that they simply haven’t passed through yet.” 

“No, that can’t be it,” Kate starts, “When Zarina, Nea, Meg and I stepped through we all woke up on the same day. If the others are out there, they simply haven’t been reported yet. Or….” 

Yui turns to them, brow raised expectantly. Or what…? 

“Or they’re dead,” Zarina finishes her sentence, “it’s not something we can ignore. Especially since Adam and Jane said they had no recollection of coming in. And the news reports on Jane’s disappearance made it pretty obvious she drowned - they just couldn’t find the body.” 

Yui stops walking for a second, thinking hard. Adam did say he heard a loud noise in the train he was in before he ended up in the fog. It could very well be that he died in the accident. She had heard news reports on the accident too. Many died. Was Adam one of those people? Did he die in that accident? Is that why they haven’t contacted them? They’re dead? 

“I don’t think we should be hasty.” Kate says. “It could be that the entity has simply started to take notice and it’s trying to keep them in. Maybe the rift closed after you and they’re still on the other side.” 

_But it’s worth looking into._ Zarina thinks. They know exactly where Jane’s car crashed into the ditch. If they go diving there now, will they find her? _No. Don’t think like that. She’s alive. Jane Romero doesn’t die so easily. None of the survivors do._

“Let’s be realistic but hopeful. Let’s not think of the worst if we don’t have to. If they’re out there, we’ll find them. One way or another.” Kate says. _Always the hopeful one._

“Anyway.” Yui says, starting to walk again. “It’s good to see you guys again. Fog isn’t the same without it’s favorite married couple or the two rebels.” 

“Oh right. Because you’re such a goody-two-shoes, Kimura.” Zarina chuckles. 

“Never said that.” She clicks her tongue. “Just thought I should give Nea and Meg a shout-out while we’re talking. How are they anyway?” 

“Could be worse,” Zarina starts, 

“Could definitely be better,” Kate finishes.

That was an understatement. They were barely scraping by. Heck, Kate was hesitant on leaving them all by themselves over in Pennsylvania. But they managed to scrape by so far, they can manage for a week or so by themselves. If they need money that can be arranged from the other side of the world just as well. Still - they could be thinking of riding for the hills, and that’s what scares them. 

“Ah, so nothing’s changed.” They take a left and another left and they’re in an alleyway. Far away chatter can still be heard, but it’s pretty clear they’ve left the busiest part of Tokyo. They’ve walked a while now. _Where are you taking us, Yui?_

“Meg has bad PTSD episodes. So bad she can’t leave the house. Nea’s mostly fine, but she’s stubbornly trying to scrape by for the two of them. We’ve tried to help financially but they don’t want any of it. They’re living near us so we can keep an eye on them, but…” Kate sighs. It bothers her, Zarina knows that. She’s heard her mutter ‘look what i’ve done to them’ on multiple occasions. 

“Well I wouldn’t want you to scrape by for me either.” Yui turns to her. “Sure, you want to take care of them, but they’re adults. They might not have much but they don’t want to be babied. How about just asking them to cover and hangout? Or helping Nea look for a better job? Maybe you can be her employer. She can make cover art for your songs or Zarina’s documentaries. That’d be better than just giving them money for nothing.” 

Zarina agrees with her. If she wasn’t already banking herself she definitely wouldn’t want to rely on Kate’s wealth. Sure, the both of them worked hard for that money, but she doesn’t want Kate to hold her hand for her for the rest of her life. She’s an adult, she can take care of herself. 

“Think about it.” Yui says, stopping by a garage door all of a sudden. Actually, upon closer inspection it’s a series of garage doors all connected to a large building. It’s a warehouse of some kind. She reaches downward, unlocking the door and raising it up and over her head. 

“We’re here.” Stepping inside they’re welcomed by what can only be considered a biker’s paradise. Bikes are stalled in just about any nook and cranny - there’s easily twenty to thirty in here. Tools and mods lay around on workbenches and scattered around by bikes that were being fixed or modded. The walls are covered with neon pink spray paint lines, messages and the logo for Yui’s gang ‘Sakura 7’. And that’s not even taking in account the quality of the bikes. They’re all top-notch, stuff that would go for thousands of dollars. All of them personalised with stickers or accessories or neon reflectors and initials engraved in the handles. 

On the far wall something else catches their eye, a jacket hung-up in a display case. Like one would hang a baseball jersey from a wall. It’s quite clear who the jacket belongs to. Zarina glances at Yui, who’s never looked more proud in her life. This is her life, everything that she’s worked towards for years and her gang, her girls, didn’t give up. They didn’t let it go to waste. If anything can be taken from the situation here, they build on Yui’s leadership and let it become a fuel for their own strength. 

“Well?” Yui looks at them, expectantly. Hands are on her hips, her chest swelling with pride. “What do you think?”

What even is there to say? 

“This is sick.” That fits, thanks Kate. 

Yui laughs and leads them inside and across the large warehouse. Yui’s voice bounces off the walls by echo. It feels even bigger on the inside than looking in from the outside. She leads them up a set of stairs and to a tiny office that she unlocks while she goes over the history of her gang and talks about some of the girls. 

Apparently she met with them a little earlier today and had her clothes cleaned and preparations for her return were made while she was in the hospital. Both of them are surprised they managed to get the blood out. Yui says it’s less of a miracle than them finding a way out, which both of them don’t respond to. 

She’s not the leader anymore, someone else took that role, but she is and always will be an important member. Her girls don’t need a leader, never did. She’s fine walking beside them as just another racer. 

“A long time ago, I told Kate I would get her something. It was really just a joke at first, but I think she deserves it. In fact, I think you both do. So I had some things made while I was in the hospital recovering.” Yui walks around the little office, walls lined up with prizes and photos of victories. One of them is a picture Kate recognises from a news article. In fact, she’s pretty sure the picture is from a newspaper. One from an article covering the ‘illustrious illegal street racer that cannot be caught’ 

Yui returns holding jackets in her hands, one for each of them. “You know usually there’s a whole welcome ceremony associated with giving these jackets out. Which usually ends up with us either drinking or racing, but I think you could both go without right now. That and I don’t trust Zarina on a motorcycle.” 

“Oh but you’ll trust Kate?” 

“Yeah, Yeah, I do actually.”

Yui hands over the jackets. They’re made from the same material as her own polyurethane leather jacket and look relatively the same, but Kate notices the subtle differences immediately. Her jacket has a moon logo on the front, Zarina’s has a sun and the striped patterns are missing entirely, going for a more simplistic look that really makes the logo standout. The back logo is still the familiar sakura 7 one, but the front is different. Enough to be unique. They fit them, personally. Kate’s already shedding her denim jacket to slip on the jacket just given to her. It looks a little weird, she looks like a greenie in it, not quite wearing it with confidence like Yui. But it’s the idea that counts. 

Yui’s gang has never been exclusive. It’s always been about giving women a safe space to just be themselves. Some of the people that came to her were newbies to racing and simply found her power as a woman incredibly inspiring. Only after being introduced to the gang did they pick up racing themselves. 

"Well. Now that you have it on, you’re obligated to come with me.” 

Yui takes her wrist and takes her back downstairs, all the way back to the front of the warehouse where a bike was parked. It was easy to tell it was Yui’s. If the neon pink decorations were anything to go by. The biker pats the seat softly before turning back to Kate. 

“Oh no. You’re not making me-”

Yui lets her wrist go and makes her way over to a workbench before Kate can even finish her sentence, collecting a helmet from it and coming back with it, shoving it in Kate’s hands without a word. Kate looks down at the helmet, back at Yui and then at the bike. 

“Well?” Yui asks, already swinging one of her legs over the bike and readjusting her goggles so they’d cover her eyes. “Are you coming?” 

Kate sighs, putting the helmet over her head and swinging her leg over the bike right behind Yui. She wraps her arms around the biker’s middle as she revs the engine. Zarina watches the both of them, frowning slightly at her wife. Yui chuckles. 

“Don’t worry, Kassir.” She pats one of Kate’s hands. “I’ll be sure to return your wife safely.” 

She places her hands on the handles again. 

“In the meantime you should put on that jacket.” She takes her feet off the ground. “You’re up next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Updates after a month* *updates after a month*

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter: @dancvwithme


End file.
